July 2008 _______________________________________________________ riding the exhale

Hello from Lansing! I left my job at the end of June and moved to the middle of the mitten for grad school. I have given myself the gift of July - an entire month to breathe, create, and smile. This update is my first creative choice.

My partner and I have rented a cozy house on Lansing's Eastside. We planted a young perrenial garden last weekend (with help from friends), and have plans for a vegetable container garden in our mud room. Katie has an entire room for sewing and crafting, with an old window that peeks into the backyard. And I am negotiating the flow of my 50's farm kitchen, complete with gas range and really really old cabinets.

As I've mentioned previously, I participate in a queer writing group called Thursday Night Write. We have recently put together an Anthology of our writing. They are $2 a pop, and range from short stories and poetry to erotica and nonsense. If you are interested in a copy, drop me an email - casey@soulsmiles.com - and we'll work something out (mail me $2 and I'll slap a stamp on that baby). Proceeds go to Affirmations.

Onward to the writing! This update spans the last six months, starting with January. The writing has come in spurts, and until I put this update together I didn't believe I'd even written this much. To check out what I'm doing between updates visit my blog - soulsmiles.livejournal.com.

January 2008
- Tap Dancing

February 2008
- a woman on the verge...
- Take and Give
- home (haiku)
- That Beat
- movin' (haiku)
- Suburban Shopping Prison
- Thin Air

March 2008
- sleep (haiku)
- Young Men
- Holding Steady
- Rock Steady
- Rain

April 2008
- Stardust
- The Body
- A View From Winter's End
- Springing
- Tornadoes

May 2008
- Waiting for the Bus at Arborland (Ann Arbor)
- Define: Cynicism
- Wind and White Faces
- Elephant Ballet

June 2008
- destruction
- Coming Storms
- Big

contact : casey@soulsmiles.com